This is the fourth in a series of five essays titled:

A Historical and Methodical Approach to Finding Faith in Jesus

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The 27 texts we call the New Testament make the life of Jesus of Nazareth one of the best-attested lives in all of ancient history. Because the details are so abundant, let us focus instead on the broad outline of Jesus’ biography so that we don’t get lost in the weeds.

We have to keep reminding ourselves that the apostles were on a mission of speaking – not writing. Jesus’ commission did not lead to their sequestering themselves in ivory towers to leisurely reflect on how they might write and publish his story. Rather, they were on the move – often at risk of imprisonment or worse. Writing was an occasional byproduct of their mission, not the central focus. Even so, these writings are well-composed and tell us a great deal.

Noncontroversial Claims about Jesus

• Jesus was a Jew​ – Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of King David who had lived about a thousand years before their time. David was, of course, a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who had lived over a thousand years before David himself.
• Jesus was “of Nazareth”​ – Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but grew up in Nazareth and became a carpenter like his father. Because Jesus spent most of his life in Nazareth, the name “Jesus of Nazareth” became the way he could be distinguished from the other Jews named Jesus – for, in his time and place, “Jesus” (rendered “Joshua” in the Hebrew language) was not at all a unique name.
• Jesus was a teacher​ – Jesus began his public ministry around age 30; it last only 2-3 years. He went about Israel – and really nowhere else – preaching and teaching in the manner of the many Jewish prophets before him, using Capernaum (a fishing village on the coast of the Sea of Galilee) as his base. Jesus focused his ministry on Jews. However, since Israel was at this time a vassal state of the Roman Empire, he also had occasional contact with Gentiles and did not shun them.
• Jesus was preceded by John the Baptist​ – A distant relative of Jesus, John the Baptist was a popular preacher among the Jews who was nonetheless considered a nuisance by Jewish authorities because of his emphasis on repentance from sin – from which political rulers were not exempted. Jesus inaugurated his own ministry by submitting to John’s baptism. For John’s part, he proclaimed that Jesus would have a ministry greater than his own.
• Jesus ran afoul of Jewish religious authorities​ – The Jerusalem-based Jewish religious hierarchy was opposed to Jesus’ teaching and offended by his popularity. Jesus was from Galilee and had not come up through the ranks of the existing religious power structure. Further, Jewish leaders considered his teaching heretical and feared that he posed a serious threat to the social order.
• Jesus was crucified by the Romans​ – The Jewish leaders pressured Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, to execute Jesus on charges of sedition because he acknowledged being the Jewish messiah – which is to say, king of the Jews. Punishment for such a crime under Roman law for a non-Roman was crucifixion – an excruciatingly painful and shameful way to die. Jesus was tried in Jerusalem by both Jewish and Roman authorities, and there crucified around 33 A.D.

Aside from some of the minor points, the general facts above are acknowledged by practically all historians – ancient and modern, Christian and non-Christian.

Controversial Claims about Jesus

• His Miracles ​- Jesus’ teaching was accompanied by miracles. He made the lame the walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the mute to speak. He even brought the dead back to life. He fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and fish, walked on water, and calmed storms. The quality and quantity of miracles He performed are unsurpassed in all human history before or since.
• His Virgin Birth, Resurrection, Ascension ​- Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23-25). After being crucified, he was raised from the dead on the third day. He appeared to his disciples, including his family members, multiple times in multiple ways in multiple settings over a 40-day span. He appeared to individuals and small groups – and even to a group of 500 (1 Corinthians 15:1-11). He spoke with these disciples, ate and drank with them, and even made breakfast for some of them (John 21). With his disciples looking on, Jesus then ascended into heaven (Acts 1).
• The Old Testament Prophecies of Messiah ​- The Old Testament was filled with promises from God that He would send a “Messiah” to save the world from the sin and death into which Adam’s and Eve’s sin had plunged it. The testimony of Jesus’ disciples wasn’t just that Jesus was raised from the dead, but that he was raised from the dead according to these promises.​
• The Claims Jesus Made about Himself​ – Jesus said things that would be outrageous for a mere human being to say. He claimed that the power for his miracles all came from God. He claimed that his teaching came from God (John 7:16; 8:40). He even spoke at times as if he were equal to God (Matthew 11:25-27). On top of all this, he said he was humble (Matthew 11:29)!
• The Claims Jesus Made about People ​- Jesus claimed that human beings were lost because of sin and that he came to save them (Luke 5:32; 19:10). He said that his intention was to draw everyone to himself (John 12:32).
• The Second Coming​ – Practically every page of the New Testament throbs with a great expectation, variously called the second coming of Christ (John 14:1-3; Hebrews 9:27-28), the day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:2), the day of Christ (Philippians 1:10), the coming of the kingdom of God (Luke 22:18), the age to come (Hebrews 6:5), the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37), the day that the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:30), and even more. The entire 1st-century Christian movement held this hope for their own generation – not some subsequent generation beyond them (Matthew 10:23; 16:28; 24:34).

What Do We Say to What the New Testament Says?

The writers of these 27 texts communicate in the same matter-of-fact way about the controversial matters as they do the noncontroversial matters – there’s no alteration in their sober style. We human beings normally believe each other unless there’s a good reason not to. Is there a good reason to not believe these people?

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The next essay in this series: What Proves the Resurrection of Jesus? (5 min)

All Essays

11/17/25